Page 90 of Resolve
Chapter thirty
Jackson
Thesmoothslideofsteel on whetstone soothes something in me. The sound of it, the gritty texture that vibrates into my fingers as I drag the blade along the stone, strokes my soul. If I were a feline, I’d probably be purring.
Water runs from the kitchen sink as I work through each of my knives and spread them out on the counter.
We’re getting close to Raegan’s plan being put into action. Alice finally managed to make another person invisible two days ago. Now, she and Reid are teleporting around the country to find and convince her siblings to help us.
Considering Harvey’s and Alice’s initial refusal to go against Charles, I don’t expect it to be easy. Reid’s been instructed to grab and bring back anyone who can’t be convinced, so they don’t squeal to Daddy President. It’s up to Alice to avoid that outcome. If we lose eyes on a board member, it puts the whole plan at risk.
They’re trying to reach all of them in one day, which means they’ll be gone all day and likely won’t return until later this evening.
Then, it’ll be our turn.
I angle the current blade into my arm, and a line of red blooms with minimal pressure. I swipe it clean with a cloth and place it beside the others.
The small creak of a door opening tells me Raegan’s exiting the bedroom. “Hey,” she greets, strolling up to the counter while squeezing the ends of her wet hair with a towel. “Cassandra invited a bunch of us to her apartment. Evie still hasn’t woken up yet, so she and Silas think she might if she hears us playing cards.”
Cassandra and Evie are sharing one of Elias’s apartments, as all of the Guild members are. There aren’t enough for everyone to have their own, but this combination in particular was chosen when Evie didn’t wake up even after being healed.
She’s in a coma.
“I’m going to join them for a bit since Kell and I finished training.”
I don’t share my annoyance again that he let her walk up here on her own. She’d defended him, saying that he’d gotten caught up talking with one of Elias’s crew, and she was too impatient for a shower to wait for him.
Doesn’t matter.
This isn’t home.
Though Aiden believes Elias and his people are allies, that doesn’t mean we can trust them like our people. Raegan shouldn’t be out of our sight for even a second until Charles and Gifted Enterprise are wiped from the board.
And maybe not even then.
“I’ll come with you,” I tell her before she can rush out the door on her own. I have one knife left to sharpen before my backup set is ready for use.
Raegan nods, settling in to watch my process with interest. A smile curls my lips at her concentration on what I do and how I move the blade along the stone. I know she’s memorizing all of it, even if she doesn’t know why I do something. She trusts that I know, and for her, that’s enough.
“Do you want to try?” I offer, extending my hand to her.
She bites her lip to hide her smile, but I see it anyway. I can see it in the way her eyes light up or widen a fraction. I can hear it when her breath catches. Feel it when her quiet, reserved strength vibrates the very air around us. She’s not just strong when she’s using her gift to bring the world to heel at her fingertips. It’s in the moments of calm, like this, when I feel it just as much. Her desire to learn more, know more. To push herself beyond complacency.
Her hand falls in mine, and I tug her to the small space I’ve made between me and the counter. With my arms capturing her on either side, I take her hands and guide them to the blade. “Keep it at an angle—like this. Then drag it back from heel to tip down the stone. Mm... good.”
She shivers. It’s barely more than a tightening of her muscles as if she tried to hide it. But she should know by now there is no hiding from me.
Releasing her hands, I settle mine on her hips, grazing my thumbs along her skin beneath her shirt. “Keep going, little one. Ten times per side should do.” I pull her hair around one shoulder, revealing the perfect curve of her neck that begs to be tasted.
“Jack,” she pants.
“Focus on the knife,” I warn without stopping. The sound of steel on whetstone paired with her intoxicating vanilla-cinnamon scent from a fresh shower is stirring my desire faster than I cankeep it leashed. My lips descend onto her skin, and an unmistakable shudder rolls through her.
She presses her ass against me, finding my hard dick and releasing a tiny gasp as if she’s surprised. She shouldn’t be. I’m hard the moment she deigns to lay her eyes upon me. The second her skin meets mine. Or her scent overwhelms the air I breathe.
“Turn it over,” I remind her after I’ve counted ten strokes of the blade, even though my eyes are closed. It feels like she’s touching me with that knife when I block my sight. Like she’s the one stroking my soul with that blade in a way that sends ripples of pleasure straight to my cock.
Shhhhhhnk. Shhhhhhnk.
